Ichiraku's Promise
by fleetfox791
Summary: Against all odds, Naruto tends to change the hearts of people. Teuchi Ichiraku is no exception. A quick one-shot about little Naruto, and a big promise. Huge shout out to my Beta...MeLovesToWrites


A little past ten o'clock, a full and content customer left Ichirakus. With a slight smile upon his face, he slowly made his way home, humming under his breath. He appreciates the cloudless sky and the bright full moon that lights the barren streets of the Hidden Leaf Village. He walks past the dark windows of closed stores, and the shadowed parks, still, without use. There is little sound within the village, besides the occasional ninja speeding by. Once the man enters his home and shuts off the lights, the village proceeds to sleep.

Ichiraku Ramen, a successful shop, begins cleaning up for closing. The remaining broth put into a tub, the freshly chopped vegetables and cooked noodles dumped outback for animals, and the bowls cleaned for tomorrow's use. Just before the owner shuts off the lights to his little shop, however, he spots a tuft of blond hair and a single blue eye peeking around the corner of his store. A soft eep escapes the small child before he disappears altogether. The shop owner stares at the empty space for a moment before he flicks off the lights and walks up the stairs into his connecting home.

Lights out, pajamas on, and in bed, the old owner thinks about the boy. _Someone that young wouldn't and shouldn't be without parents. Saving he happens to be an orphan. Then perhaps,_ the man thinks, _he should keep the shop open a little longer for the small child, maybe make him something to eat in advance._ With that in mind, the old man falls asleep, awaiting the next day with a promise that could potentially change everything.

The next day is warm and full of laughing children and patient mothers. Stores are bustling to life and ninja casually walk the street. It was a clear picture that the Ramen shop owner holds dear in his heart. Each day of prosperity shows the strength of the village and its people. Even after the third great shinobi war and the Kyuubi attack, the people of the hidden leaf village feel happy and secure.

The Ramen shop served several interesting people that day. Several newly minted chunin according to their new flak vest and celebratory smiles, kids that play more with their food than actually eating it, a Jonin that has been a regular for several years that refuses to put his weird book away, and the Third Hokage himself. Special orders made throughout the day were picked up by a variety of people. Civilians and ninjas alike.

When the sun finally set and the ramen shop owner's final customers went home for the day, the old man cleans a big bowl and uses his extra broth, vegetables, and noodles to make one last bowl for a potential customer. He sets it on the counter and starts to clean up his shop, hoping and waiting for the little blond kid to enter.

Half an hour later, the shop was relatively clean. The old man sat on a wooden stool behind the counter. His aging face propped against his hand. It's ten thirty, he realizes and he shakes his head in slight disappointment. He reaches toward the cold bowl of ramen and a familiar pair of large blue eyes appear over the edge of the counter. Small hands on each side, possibly there to keep him upright. The man startles slightly before he gives a reassuring nod and motions toward the bowl, setting down a pair of chopsticks.

"Don't worry, it's for you little man."The deep voice spoke softly, telling the boy to take a seat on one of the worn stools. The blond boy looks at the owner with furrowed brows before he takes the offered seat and looks at the chopsticks like they are foreign to him. Blue eyes meet brown, and the obvious confusion made the older man laugh.

The owner grabbed another pair, deciding to show the boy how to use them. He pulls the chopsticks apart and places them in one hand. The little boy does the same, watching with determination. The owner expected less from a child who is learning how to use essential utensils. The old man shows the boy step by step, and soon enough, the kid has a decent, if not weak, grip on the chopsticks. Reluctantly, he puts them in the bowl and attempts to grab the noodles. Time and time again, noodles slip from the chopsticks grip. Blue eyes narrow in concentration, and a tongue sticks out of the corner of pursed lips. After several frustrating tries, he succeeds and immediately slips them into his mouth, barely chewing before swallowing. He repeats the action several times, and before the owner knew it, the boy was slurping the broth down.

The little blond wipes his arm across his face, cleaning off any excess broth. A big smile makes its way across his face, as well as a content sigh. He looks up at the owner and hands him the empty bowl. Climbing down from the stool, he begins to walk out. His head turns slightly before he murmurs a quiet thanks before slipping off into the darkness.

The old man, still in awe of the utter speed of the youngster, chuckles lightly and cleans the dish before shutting off the lights and going to bed. Maybe staying up so late isn't too bad.

The next morning is a surprise for the old man. The little boy, from last night, was sitting at the stool, resting his head in his small hands. His eyes close, and his hair gently moving in the slight breeze. The old man walks up to the boy and taps his shoulder The child almost falls off of the seat before he steadies himself and grins. Closed eyes, all teeth. A smile worthy of a happy child. The words that tumble out of the blondes mouth shock the cook.

"Can I help you get ready?" Begging like a puppy. Of course, the owner could not say no.

"Sure, little man, come on back here." And they work to get everything set up for the day. The owner shows the kid how to properly chop vegetables and make fresh broth. He chuckles at the boy's enthusiasm. If only his daughter didn't have to go to school in the morning, then he would have help like this every day. If an old man like him could dream.

Once everything is ready, the older man makes a bowl of miso ramen and asks the kid to take a seat and eat. A big smile was his response. As the boy slurps down his breakfast, the man finally speaks up.

"My name is Teuchi Ichiraku. Would you tell me your name, little man?" The little boy stops eating and sets down his chopsticks. Shy eyes reach the ramen cook's, and the child swallows nervously.

"My name is Nawuto Uzumaki." His voice was quiet and hesitant. Teuchi smiles at the boy.

"Nice to meet you, Naruto! Thank you for helping me this morning. My old bones are very grateful." Naruto looks at the ramen cook in surprise and grins.

"You're welcome, Ojisan!" Teuchi's smile widens, and he laughs wholeheartedly. A small giggle joins in, and soon enough both were laughing obnoxiously. Soon Naruto returns to his ramen, and Teuchi turns to cut up some vegetables.

A simple conversation passes between the two, and before they knew it, the first customer pulls back the front flaps and takes a seat. Naruto leaps from his seat and races out of the shop. Two sets of eyes watching him scamper away, one with mild interest, the other with sorrow.

"Teuchi-san, are you aware of who that is?" A lazy voice came from an early customer.

"Of course," Teuchi replies, "a hungry child with a bright smile and a nice name." The cook looks straight into the dark eyes of the Nara. They mutter a single response under their breath.

"Troublesome." It would have annoyed him if he didn't see a hint of a smile on the Nara's face.

"So what can I help you with this morning?" And so the day continues. Returning customers, new customers, young customers, old customers. A large variety that keeps Teuchi busy throughout the day. And when night finally approaches, and the last customer leaves, a blond kid hops into a seat and starts a conversation with old man Teuchi.

"So what did you do today, Naruto?" Teuchi asks curiously as he hands a fresh bowl of Shio Ramen. The young boy accepts the bowl grinning ear to ear, his whisker-like markings spreading with the smile.

"I went to play, Ojisan. There was this weelly mean boy, so went to play all by myself. I climbed this weelly weelly big twee, it was like one million feet high, and I saw a birds nest. Then I feel down. I only one owie. You can't see it, but it's right here. Hey, guess what Ojisan! I saw a ninja today! That's super cool! I want to be a ninja too. I'm alweady vewy fast, and I can climb vewy high, and I can do backflips off of twees. Sometimes I landed on my feet, and it was fun. I'll show you later, Ojisan." Naruto goes on and on about his day, and Teuchi watches as he waves his arms around excitedly. He notices the big smile on the boys face, and the large eyes that shine when he talks about wanting to be a ninja.

"Yeah Naruto, I think you can be a ninja. But you have to eat lots of healthy food in order to help your body grow." Naruto's eyebrows rose, and his smile stretched fully across his face.

"'couwse Ojisan! I'll make you pwoud. That's a pwomise! And I never go back on my pwomises." With one hand stuffing food into his mouth and another giving the old man a thumbs up, Teuchi could not stop the laugh that escapes him.

_I look forward to your future, Naruto._

Late that night, Teuchi got up to get a glass of water. He walks into his shop, grabs a clean glass from the dry rack, and fills the glass with lukewarm water. He gulps it down as his eyes finally adjust to the dark, and he notices some old noodles that he forgot to throw out back. He must have been too occupied by Naruto and had forgotten. He places his glass in the sink, and grabs the bin with the leftover noodles, and walks out back. Just as he was about to dump them for the animals, he sees a flash of pale yellow out of the corner of his eye. Looking closer, he realizes that the yellow is attached to a head, a head attached to a body, and the body belonging to a young boy. More specifically, Naruto Uzumaki. He was leaning against the building with an unusual scrap of clothing wrapped around his shoulders.

Teuchi walks up to the bundle and taps his shoulder to wake him. The boy jumps and looks up with frantic eyes before they recognize Teuchi. A small smile makes a way to his whiskered face.

"What are you doing out here Naruto? Come inside I have a spare futon." Teuchi helps the boy stand and leads him through the back door. They walk up the stairs, slowly, as their visibility had yet to adjust to the subtle lighting. Once they got to Teuchi's room, the old man leads Naruto to the bed and tells him to sit.

"What were you doing outside Naruto? Shouldn't you be at the Orphanage, in a bed?" The old cook's voice was tired but stern. He looks at the boy who returns his gaze.

"I got kicked out of the orphan house, Ojisan. They say that I was big enough to look after myself, but there was other kids a whole lot bigger than me! I'm five in a half years old Ojisan! I'm not too big, am I?" A small pool of tears gathers in bright blue eyes. His bottom lip quivers and Naruto sniffs before rubbing away the tears.

"I am a big boy now. I can wead and wite and talk vewy well. I can clean vewy good, and cook too! I'm too young to be by myself, right?"

"Oh, Naruto." Teuchi pulls the shaking boy into a hug and cards his large fingers into the blond hair that honestly needs a wash.

"No, I do not believe that you are old enough to be living on your own. I know that you are a big boy, practically a man!" Naruto giggles at that.

"I know that you can read and speak very well, and I'll believe that you can write. I know that you can cook and clean because you helped me remember." He pulls Naruto out at arm's length.

"I promise that I will help you find a home Naruto! And I never break my promises." The two smile at each other, and Naruto hugs the man gently.

"Thank you Ojisan! I weally think that you are super cool. If I didn't make my ninja pwomise, I would pwomise to be just like you. You're my hewo." Those last few words were quiet, but Teuchi still heard them. His heart drops to his stomach, and the smile he had disappears. The old man's eyes widen with surprise before a giant smile covers his aging face.

Teuchi gets up and sets up the futon. He goes down the hall and returns with a large blanket.

"Here you go Naruto." The blue-eyed chatterbox migrates to the futon and lays down. Teuchi places the large blanket over the giggling child before tucking him in.

"This belongs to my daughter Ayame-chan, so take care of it okay." A small squeak came from the blond.

"You have a daughter, Ojisan?"

"Yeah. She's a little older than you, and she goes to civilian school. You will like her when you meet her, little man. She's very sweet." Naruto stares up at the old man before an innocent look crosses his face.

"Can I call her Ayame Nee-chan?"

"You would have to ask her when you meet her Naruto, but I doubt that she would oppose it."

"Oppose?"

"It means to not like it." The blond nodded in understanding.

"I like learning new things, Ojisan. You are super smart. Like the smartest person in the whole wide world." He whispers while holding his arms wide apart to show how much.

"It's time to go to bed, Naruto."

"Okay, night Teuchi-Ojisan."

"Goodnight Naruto." And with that, the small child was asleep.

Teuchi lay there thinking for a while.

"'_couwse Ojisan! I'll make you pwoud. That's a pwomise! And I never go back on my pwomises."_

"_Thank you Ojisan. I really think that you are super cool. If I didn't make my ninja promise, I would promise to be just like you. You're my hero."_

_Be better than me Naruto, and I will be proud._


End file.
